At its fourth and final meeting Nov. 14, Sugar Land's Traffic Safety Task Force made its decision on whether to recommend that the city keep, scrap altogether or modify its controversial red light camera program.
The verdict: a 9 to 1 vote against the RLCP's elimination, followed by a 7 to 3 vote to modify the four-intersection program. The TSTF will recommend for the city to consider modifying the program by providing better signage at the city's four RLCP intersections, reviewing the length of yellow lights, the tickets' language, fines and administration.
Prior to discussion, the TSTF heard for a final time from the RLCP's opponents, led by Helwig F. Van Der Grinten, founder of the Houston Coalition Against Red Light Cameras, who submitted a 3,300-signature resident petition calling for the RLCP's end last April, leading the city to establish the TSTF to study the program's effectiveness.
Van Der Grinten called the city's finding that the RLCP has reduced accidents 58 percent since it began in 2008 misleading, suggesting the reduced accident rate may be a "statistical fluke."
"The way that statisticians eliminate that statistical fluke is to compare a red light camera location to a control site and see if there's a difference in the accident rate that could possibly be attributed to red light cameras," Van Der Grinten said.
After public comments, a motion was made to recommend the removal of the cameras. TSTF member D.V. Kumar said the burden of proof that the RLCP has directly reduced the number of accidents lies with the city.
"The city hasn't provided us any information with regard to the data prior to the activation, so that we can intelligently compare those numbers and come to a conclusion," Kumar said.
Because of the capital improvements made at the camera-monitored intersections since the program began, Kumar said it can't be determined how much of the reduction in accidents is attributable to roadway enhancements rather than the RLCP, citing the Highway 6/U.S. 59 intersection as an example.
"Do we agree that there are less accidents on Highway 6 and 59 now?" TSTF chairman Harvey Zinn asked Kumar.
"I am going by what the city has told us," Kumar said. "I don't have the proof to say those numbers are correct because they have not provided them."
"I would have like to have seen the numbers before the cameras versus after also," TSTF member Mark Hudec said.
"We don't have data [and] the city doesn't have that data," TSTF member Erin Williford said. "The reason [the city] didn't have that data was partially because everything was under construction at that time when [the RLCP] got started."
"There are so many variables that are different, from weather to frequency of volume of cars that go through an intersection," TSTF member Noel Mascarenhas said. "I don't know if we'll ever be able to satisfy everyone."
"If, in fact, what you're saying is correct – and I do agree to some extent with what you've said," Kumar told Mascarenhas. "What it means is this whole issue is inconclusive, at best."
Kumar said the accident data provided by the city should be compared with similar intersections where there are no RLCP cameras.
"[The city has] not provided to us that information," Kumar said. "To be meaningful, we need to perform a comprehensive, technical analysis taking into consideration the variables that contribute to accident rates at the intersections."
Mascarenhas said besides statistical evidence, anecdotal evidence too is valuable in determining whether the RLCP changes driver behavior. He said that while he's concerned visitors to the city may be unaware of the cameras, he's not persuaded to eliminate the program.
"I just want to make sure that we understand that, if we could agree that there's no statistical undisputed evidence to support an improvement in traffic behavior, there's still plenty of anecdotal evidence," Mascarenhas said.
Based on Sugar Land Police Chief Doug Brinkley's testimony to the TSTF that the RLCP is beneficial to the police department, TSTF member Ruth Barrett said she was hesitant to eliminate the program.
"I hate to throw it all the way out when you've got the police department saying this is an effective tool for us," Barrett said.
"If we took them out, how would we administer traffic at those points?" Mascarenhas asked.
"[SLPD] would have to hire more police officers," Zinn said.
"Statistical evidence aside, I would need some kind of really persuasive suggestion to ... go a million bucks in hole to try and change public safety,'"Mascarenhas said.
"So you are … bringing up the point that … the revenues are part of your major consideration when it should not be," Kumar said.
"[If the city takes] the cameras away from the intersections … we still have to enforce traffic safety for public safety," Mascarenhas said. "We [would] obviously incur the costs and have police officers there."
"We still have the responsibility. What I heard [from Brinkley's presentation] was four to six officers to replace those red lights," Zinn said, drawing agreement from several other TSTF members. "That bothered me because of the cost of police officers."
"If there is no convincing proof these red light cameras reduce the accidents, then, really, they don't need for them to be there, in my judgment," Kumar said.
"If I had sensed some abusive administration of this program to the public – to the citizens and our visitors – I would consider voting to eliminate. But I haven't sensed that." Mascarenhas said.
After more discussion, the TSTF voted against eliminating the program, with Kumar as the sole "yes" vote.
Hudec then made a motion to modify the RLCP. The TSTF members then pontificated recommending to the city that it use larger, more obvious signage around the RLCP intersections.
"The last thing we want to do is perpetuate the idea that we're out to be robber barons for our visitors," Mascarenhas said. "Disclose it, make it as big and as loud and as ugly [and] temporary as possible, but get the word out."
The idea of increasing the RLCP intersections' yellow light time by an extra second again came to the floor, a notion which several TSTF members voiced uncertainty over.
Williford, a civil engineer, said while the time increase might be positive for RLCP intersections, she's concerned it may negatively impact driver behavior at intersections where the yellow light times had not been lengthened.
"I don't think we should [change the yellow light time], simply based on the fundamentals of the engineering," Williford said.
Following a discussion on recommending a voter referendum on the program to council – which was decided against – the TSTF then voted 7-3 to recommend the city modify the RLCP.
Mascarenhas suggested recommending the city modify the RLCP's signage, fines and the timing of yellow lights. Another TSTF member suggested the city review the tickets' verbiage, which an anti-RLCP speaker earlier testified was threatening.
"What we're going to suggest for modification [is] better signage, fines and administration … [a] timing review of all the yellow lights and [a] review of the ticket language," Zinn said. "Those are the four points that we're going to tell the city."
"Worst case scenario:it couldn't hurt to review all of these things," Williford said. "They may [decide] they don't want to modify any of them, but [the TSTF's recommendation would] at least get them to look at it a little more closely."
